En Fuego!

Quite the commotion around town Friday night; a fire at the local Mexican restaurant. Even from our house on the hill a mile away, the flames were big and the smoke rolling black. Ashley spent the better part of her evening looking out the window at the scene in town below and exclaiming "ANOTHER fire truck, Mommy!" every time she heard sirens blaring.

Guess we won't be visiting that restaurant any time soon

Making lemonade

Natalie's ears are so bad lately that I really have to give them a good soaking of numbing drops at bedtime. The goo oozes out of her ears and makes her hair greasy and dirty. If I weren't so vain, it wouldn't bother me. But I am, so it does. The other evening I decided to take the lemons known as ear infections and numbing drops, and make lemonade. I put her hair up in the most adorable piggertails and she actually kept them in (for the most part). Somehow seeing her run around with her hair all done up cute makes the sting of the ear infections a little less. :)

Tiny piggers but still hugely cute!
A view from behind
Love those cheeks

Snow much fun

Since the mercury hasn't passed the freezing mark in nearly 72 hours, we still have a bit of snow left on our back deck. It's a battle royale to convince Ashley that it's no longer fluffy, fun playing snow and is instead hard ice-pack, which means it's zero fun to play in. She still begs non-stop to get dressed in her snow suite, hat, jacket, mittens and boots so she can make snow angels and "snow parents and babies", as she likes to call them. A few nights ago, before the deep freeze, we bundled her up and let her play until her cheeks and nose were bright red. Boy did she have fun!

Our little snow angel
Her first snowman of the year - just a wee little guy but man was she proud!
"Mommy, I eat my dinner on the deck tonight, okay?"
A family shot around the snowman

Good aim

While playing butterfly the other evening with Ashley, Natalie was sitting on my stomach enjoying the view. About the time I got Ash up and stable, Natty threw herself back and made full skull-to-nose contact. Things popped and crunched, the pain radiated throughout my face and tears escaped from my eyes.
How thankful I was that Jake was close by and opted to capture the impact and aftermath on film, instead of coming to my rescue. My hero indeed!

Kaboom! Pow! Oorgh!
Que tears, headache and general confusion

I've already shared these...

...but they just make me so happy. I could wallpaper my house with these 3 pictures and never get tired of them.

My only saving grace

2:15 to 4:30 am.
Sleeping?
Boy I wish.
Natalie was up, again, crying out in pain and disgust.
SHE.NEEDS.TUBES.
Period.
After I've rocked a mile, patted her back a thousand times, sang every single song I know, and even some I don't, I get to a point where I feel like there isn't anything else I have to offer. I've exhausted every emotion I posses: anger because WHY HER? Why poor Natalie? It's not supposed to be like this. Frustration because there is jack we can do to make her feel better aside from ibuprofen and numbing ear drops (of which we've gone through nearly an entire bottle of since October), and even now neither seem to have any effect on her. Sadness because we're all so tired that it makes for short fuses and long sighs of unhappiness.
So when I've found that I've reached the end of the proverbial rope, God steps in (He is, after all, the knot at the end of the rope that keeps us from falling) and reminds me of my saving grace; the point where the stars align, the medications finally kick in and sheer exhaustion takes over and Natalie finds comfort and drifts off to painless sleep.
Sitting in her dark room, taking in the scents that make Natalie, holding her while she innocently sucks her thumb and those high-pitched sighs that confirm her Sleeping Beauty state, all of the earlier tears are wiped away. The anger and frustration and sadness are suddenly forgotten as I hold my sleeping baby against me. I admit I steal a few kisses, stroke her soft cheeks once or twice and snuggle a few minutes longer then probably necessary. But I figure it's my Mom Payment for the earlier 2.5 hours of pure Hell. And unfortunately I know it won't be long before we have another night that exactly mimics this one, so I suck all the joy I can out of it.
And the next time I find myself holding a crying Natalie, I remind myself of my saving grace. And somehow I make it through.

Love you, Spunky. How I wish we could make all the pain go away.
PS You may or may not notice that she had to get her bangs trimmed - she won't keep hairbands in, and we were tired of trying to see her face through her Rapunzel-like hair, so a little trim was in order. Pretty cute, don't you think?

Wrong-side-up

Sometimes it's best to see things from a different angle.

Snowmageddon 2011

It's 'snow' much fun to wake up to the white stuff! I just love it!
I was so excited when Ashley woke up (even though we had a L.O.N.G. night with poor Natalie and her cuss word ears, despite being on antibiotics for 8 days); I had her look out the window and delighted in soaking up her excitement. It wasn't long before I had her bundled up and out the door where she immediately exclaimed "Mommy, I love the snow! I'm having so much fun!"
Soon after Natalie was awake and joining us outside where we played and enjoyed our little dusting. At one point Natalie walked off of the driveway and face planted into the grass, and a few minutes later Ashley backed clear off the deck, wedging herself between the rock wall and the deck. Luckily neither one was hurt, but it was certainly entertaining!
As I type this blog post I am very sad to announce our snow is quickly melting, which always breaks my heart. But who knows? Maybe Ma Nature will surprise us again tomorrow morning with even more snow?

All bundled up in my snowsuit (a Christmas gift from Grandma and Grandpa - I'm so excited I get to finally wear them!)
My first time cruising through the snow
Smiling (through the yawns; it was a rough night!) with Daddy
No snow day is complete without a family photo
The last time we had a snowy family pic was when Ash had just turned 2 and Natty was only 26 days old
Little snow angel
Catching snow flakes
Abominable Snowbaby
Early morning frosty snack
King of the mountain!
Post spill
Hot cocoa -the only way to warm up after snow play

A great start...

...to a snowy day

A Great-Grandma indeed!

Grandma Marilyn is a great Great Grandmother to the girls. She drove down this morning to stay today AND tomorrow to watch them while Jake and I work.
How lucky are we to have such love and support? How lucky are the girls to get the opportunity to get to know their Great Grandmother?
Grandma Marilyn WE LOVE YOU!

Tuesday Tidbits

Thanks to Uncle Shaun Ashley now knows how to handle Stranger Danger!
While I was visiting new mommy Katie and tiny Baby Wyatt, the girls hung out with Daddy and Uncle Shaun and learned a thing or two.
When asked "Ashley, what do you do if you see a stranger?" she says "Go get help. Say NO! and STRANGER DANGER!" When asked "Ashley, do you take candy or treats from a stranger?" she says "No! I don't take things from strangers. Strangers are bad."
I'm so thankful Shaun taught her these things. Bad Mommy hadn't even considered having the stranger talk with her yet. Whoops.
Since Natalie has been on her latest round of antibiotics, which began Thursday, she has slept 11 to 12 hours straight each night.
It.is.amazing.
And that concludes this round of Tuesday Tidbits! :)

No denying it...

...these are the cutest girls in the entire world.
Period.

Tweedle Dee
Tweedle Dum

Wyatt! Wyatt! He's our man!

Happy birthday and welcome to the world newest family member!
Friday February 18, 9:02 am
7 pounds 6 ounces, 19 inches long
Healthy, happy and handsome!
Congratulations Katie & Andy!
We love you Baby Wyatt!

My new motto

Love.
Laugh.
Photograph.

In the midst of our crazy life, at least I have my never-gonna-be-a-professional photography to look forward to! And you can bet your bottom I'm just itching for Wyatt's debut so I can go all paparazzi on his newborn little face...and hands...and feet...and bottom...and head...

As a tribute to my new motto, enjoy these shots of Natalie and her note-worthy bedhead. She doesn't sleep well lately (thanks to constant ear infections), but when she does, she sleeps like a log. And her hair reflects that.

Even with the tousled, wind-blown look she's still as cute as a button

#@*^!(*#)!@(*$#)(^%^*(!@#&*(

I'm full of nothing but bad words right now.
Guess who has an ear infection?
The appointment with the ENT canNOT come soon enough. March 3 seems like eons away.
And in case you're keeping tract of Natalie's medical history (and this doesn't even take into consideration the countless number of colds she's had in her 14 months):
June 17: sinus infection
November 1: ear infection
December 13: bronchitis
December 20: pneumonia/RSV/ear infection
December 28: asthma
January 13: ear infection
February 4: residual fluid/ear infection
February 17: ear infection
A whole plethora of upper respiratory issues. No wonder she doesn't sleep.
She's beginning her SIXTH round of antibiotics since November 1. 6 in 14 weeks. It disgusts me.

30 Days of Pictures - Day #10

Getting back on the 30 Days bandwagon. :)

A picture of something you enjoy doing plus 5 things you've learned in the past 365 days:

I really enjoy cooking, believe it or not. I prefer to cook in an ideal environment which includes Natalie not trying to scale my leg, all of the ingredients within perfect reach and enough counter space to make an (organized) mess. But you can't always get what you want, so I suck it up and make the best of what I have.
Without complaint.
Make that without audible complaint.
I'm nowhere near gourmet, in fact I'm more of a meat and potatoes girl, but my family is still all alive, so I must be doing something right.
And while I really enjoy cooking, it's sitting down at the dinner table as a family that makes me the happiest. Even if it means dodging flying cooked carrots (thankyouverymuch Natalie), or withholding the green beans until Ashley eats enough of the main dish (both of our girls are crazy for green beans!), it doesn't matter as long as the four of us are there. Nothing is sweeter than Ashley folding her hands and bowing her head in prayer. Even if the meal is a total bust, eating as a family makes it well worth it. Sometimes the best victory I have is getting everyone at the table, at the same time and eating as a family. That's success enough for me!

The pictures below reflect my love of family meal time and not of me actually cooking. How would I be able to cook AND keep Natalie off of my leg AND reach the ingredients AND take pictures all at the same time? That's just crazy talk! :)

Getting a smashed tater facial
Full of good stuff
5 Things I've Learned In the Past 365 Days
1. I cannot be Super Woman, no matter how hard I try. Besides, there's no way I could pull off that spandex bodysuit. ~shiver~
2. Going back to work doesn't make me a bad mother or wife. In fact it's the exact opposite. Providing for my family makes me the best mother and wife. Take that nay-sayers!
3. I would not survive without Jake, even though there are times I try to do it all solo (see #1 above). I like to think he couldn't survive without me, too.
4. Banana peppers and Bell peppers are yummy! I suppose my tastes are maturing as I add more candles to my birthday cake.
5. There is no way on earth you can *make* an independent and spirited 3 year old conform to anything AND THAT IS OKAY. My children are not broken; they do not need fixing. They are exactly who God intended for them to be and it's MY job to cherish and appreciate that.

A super Super Bowl party

The morning of The Big Game our little bowl party went from the four of us plus Katie, to the four of us, plus Katie, plus 4 more adults and 8 more children.
I believe the best way to describe the afternoon was chaos! Managed chaos. :)
But it seems that, for the most part, all of the kiddies had fun, the Packers won and there was great food to enjoy. So chaos or not, it was a great afternoon!

Prepping the pizza dough
The play room (AKA garage) approximately 13 seconds after I put out the bags of blocks
Guess who kept sneaking up into Jax' chair and stealing his pizza?
Half-time fun with The Black Eyed Peas
Shaking her money maker to "I Gotta Feeling" - she's such her Mama's daughter
Curling up to watch a movie - good thing we still have an extra couch in our garage (hillybilly as it may be)

Tuesday Tidbits

Ashley had her 3 year check today. Guess what? She's still tall! Surprised, because you shouldn't be?! 40 pounds and 40 inches tall, both of which are 95th percentile. This girl is serious about her height! She also had her blood pressure checked for the first time and was so excited to watch it happen: 90 over 58 which is perfect.

See my sparkly teeth?
Natalie doesn't sleep. As a result, Mommy doesn't sleep. After being referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist, I was able to schedule an appointment for Natty. Unfortunately the doctor is booked tomorrow with surgeries, Thursday with appointments and out on vacay all next week, which means she won't be seen until March 3. Drat. But the receptionist was so understanding and helpful and promised to call immediately with any cancellations. It's time for something to happen. This poor child doesn't deserve constant ear pain. Not to mention her balance is wacky for someone who has been walking for 6+ months!

Hair just like Daddy's when he was my age